4 GROSS Things That Happen To Your Vagina After Wiping With TP

When you go into the bathroom you've probably got a lot of things on your mind.

Foremost among them how badly you've probably got to pee, and how ridiculous it is that you waited so long to do so that you're doing a fun and festive little dance. 

The last thing you should be thinking about is whether or not your vagina is being damaged by the kind of toilet paper you're about to use.

But unfortunately, toilet paper hurting vaginas across the nation is a very real concern. 

That's right, the secret enemy aching to destroy our genitals has a name, and that name ... is toilet paper. 

*cue dramatic theme music*

If you've been leaving the bathroom feeling sore, irritated, itchy, or otherwise uncomfortable, you aren't alone. 

Here's the awful stuff that toilet paper can do to your vagina AND what you can do to stop the icky cycle. 

1. Microcuts 

This is the stuff of nightmares, but when you wipe your vagina you can create hundreds of microcuts on your labia and elsewhere. This is not only painful but can lead to dangerous infections. We're not saying give up the TP, but try dabbing your vagina instead of wiping to protect yourself from dangerous microcuts. 

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2. Puffiness

So many toilet papers out there contains chemicals, fragrances, and dyes. These make for a nice looking and smelling product, but they can wreak havoc on your vagina, irritating the tissue which can lead to serious puffiness and itching.

White toilet paper often contains BLEACH which (surprise) can be very irritating to some more sensitive vaginas. Another cause of puffiness can be too much wiping. If your vagina is puffy, start with easing on the wiping pressure. If this doesn't help, try buying an unbleached organic toilet paper that's formeldahyde-free. 

3. UTIs

In women the urethra is pretty darn short. That means it can easier, unfortunately, for bacteria to creep up and cause infections. If you're wiping back to front you could be pushing feces (which is riddled with bacteria) into your urethra putting you on a one way track to UTI city. There's an easy fix, start wiping front to back. 

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4. Yeast Infections

The chemicals in your toilet paper that are causing puffiness in your vagina? They can also be giving you yeast infections. The chemicals used to give paper fragrance can mess with your vagina's perfectly balanced PH system and lead to recurring yeast infection. If you think your TP is giving you yeast infections, trying switching out to something hypoallergenic.